Chuck Slothower
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chuckslothower.bsky.social
Chuck Slothower
@chuckslothower.bsky.social
1.1K followers 880 following 930 posts
Reporter and editor, Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland. Interested in housing, development, CRE, design, construction, public policy. Oregonian. Typing at my kitchen table.
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chuckslothower.bsky.social
I said mayyybe
you're gonna be the one that saves meeee
Pope Leo at the mic.
November 23, 2025 at 4:30 AM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
The median age of a home buyer is 59. Vanishingly few are in their 20s and 30s, as was common in prior generations.
November 20, 2025 at 11:13 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
The @djcoregon.bsky.social is running an interesting house ad leaning into the human element.
An ad to subscribe to the Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland), reads: "Powered by People, Not AI."
November 20, 2025 at 9:46 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
The office vacancy rate in Portland is well over 30%.
Alec MacGillis on X, quoting WSJ: "The emerging recovery in the US office market is strikingly uneven, leaving many buildings, neighborhoods and entire cities behind. A handful of business districts, from NY’s Park Ave to SoMa in SF, are leading a turnaround. But most office markets are still burdened w/ empty space and anemic rents. The US office vacancy rate is 14.1%, near a record high."
November 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Sometimes the NYT's reflexive resort to horse-race journalism causes them to miss real underlying change.
The Epstein files are coming out not because Trump's grip is loosening. They're coming out because the more the public knows about their contents, hiding them has simply become indefensible.
NYT story excerpt: "In the House, the 427-to-1 vote came after Democrats, joined by a tiny group of Republican defectors, succeeded in forcing the legislation to the floor over the vehement opposition of President Trump and G.O.P. leaders. It reflected how the Epstein affair and the president’s handling of it has fractured Mr. Trump’s political coalition and suggested a slip in his iron grip on his party."
November 18, 2025 at 11:18 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Inside Portland Art Museum's $116 million Rothko Pavilion expansion. The museum reopens to the public on Nov. 20.
djcoregon.com/news/2025/11...
November 14, 2025 at 8:01 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Every now and then I think about this comic.
Vlad the Impaler discovers marshmallows.
November 14, 2025 at 2:12 AM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
This is all well and good, but I read the whole thing and didn't see the words "cask ale" or "Horse Brass."
Press release from Gov. Kotek's office: Governor Kotek Signs Cooperation Agreement with the United Kingdom Partnership to deepen economic development, energy, and trade relations between State of Oregon and United Kingdom Salem, OR – Today, Governor Tina Kotek signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Kingdom to deepen economic development cooperation and trade relations between the State of Oregon and the United Kingdom. "While the federal government creates uncertainty among our traditional trading partners, the State of Oregon continues to step forward, building bridges across oceans and borders to address the challenges that don't stop at our shores,” Governor Kotek said. “This agreement is a signal of a renewed, strengthened partnership between our state and the United Kingdom, because the work is too important to wait for Washington."
November 5, 2025 at 11:23 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
It appears a former grange hall at 12105 NE Prescott will be converted into a preschool.
A small single-story building at the corner of an intersection. Image from Google Maps.
October 30, 2025 at 7:45 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
A new food-cart pod has been proposed at 1314 Cesar E. Chavez. Blvd. — more or less across the street from the Hawthorne Fred Meyer.
Streetscape of 1314 SE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. shows a vacant, grassy lot where a new food cart pod is proposed.
October 22, 2025 at 4:44 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Oh.
“We’re used to hearing the ‘Big One’ — Cascadia — being this catastrophic huge thing,” said Goldfinger, a marine geologist at Oregon State University, in a news release. “It turns out it’s not the worst-case scenario.”
October 8, 2025 at 6:33 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
This is flagrantly against the law.
U.S. code 31 5114: "Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities."
October 3, 2025 at 6:29 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Portland State has proposed to build a new dorm building at 1831 S.W. Park Ave. Six stories, 124,000 square feet.
"The PSU New Housing Building (PSU NHB) will be a new, purpose-built residence hall designed for first-year students. Located along the South Park Blocks in the heart of campus, the project will strengthen connections to the surrounding academic and cultural environment while bringing renewed energy and vibrancy to PSU¿s central district. 124,000 SF, 6-story, 4 over 2 wood frame over concrete podium."
October 2, 2025 at 5:31 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
What sways it to Raleigh for me is this: Big Dumper has almost 300 innings in the field over Judge. That's more than 30 games catching vs. Judge strolling up to DH, not even shagging flies in RF. Raleigh hit 60 HRs in between strapping on his shin guards. C'mon.
September 25, 2025 at 5:21 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
September 24, 2025 at 4:44 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Only one of us is pure enough, with love in their heart for their fellow man and woman, to be raptured.
The Oregon Ducks mascot.
September 23, 2025 at 8:17 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Mark, I'll let you borrow some money if you need it.
Notification that I was paid $38.16 to settle a Facebook class-action privacy lawsuit.
September 22, 2025 at 9:26 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Profile in courage Jimmy Fallon. 🙄
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/a...
NYT: "Jimmy Fallon, one of NBC’s late-night hosts, bowed out of a scheduled appearance at a different New York conference on Thursday, Deadline reported. Spokeswomen for the conference and for NBC did not respond to requests for comment."
September 18, 2025 at 10:05 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Multiple outlets are reporting the Oregon Ducks win all of their football games.
Oregon 34, Northwestern 14.
September 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
The FT's John Plender with a really interesting analysis of what would actually make housing more affordable. He relates research finding that more supply only does so much, and that changes to lending incentives and a land-value tax would do much more.
"Tackling the supply side has obvious merit given the sclerotic planning system, acute regional shortages, the shortfall in social housing and the surge in total immigration since 2022. Yet even if the government were to meet its ambitious targets, it remains questionable whether this would do much to shrink the huge gap between house prices and household incomes. David Miles of Imperial College and the Office for Budget Responsibility and Victoria Monro of the Bank of England modelled the UK housing market with a view to explaining why house prices were so high relative to incomes and other consumer prices. At the model’s core was the demand for housing and the influence on home ownership costs including interest rates. Their findings were that a substantial rise in supply could probably only unwind a small fraction of the huge rise in house prices — even with a large increase in housebuilding over decades. This suggests that politicians’ primary focus on supply may be fundamentally misdirected."
September 12, 2025 at 8:38 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Also this. People around the world are living longer, healthier lives.
A global life expectancy chart showing a consistent increase to now around 73 years.
September 11, 2025 at 5:46 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Found it. djcoregon.com/news/2016/08...
PDF of a news story from 2016 headlined "Central City property owners battle height limits."
September 3, 2025 at 11:03 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
My kid started seventh grade today. Jesus Christ, this photo hits way too close to home.
(Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
August 27, 2025 at 7:07 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
The Portland Art Museum's $111 million renovation and expansion is nearing the completion. A look at the landmark project: djcoregon.com/news/2025/08...
An exterior photo of the Mark Rothko Pavilion at the Portland Art Museum. A glass "jewel box" is the focus.
August 27, 2025 at 6:44 PM
chuckslothower.bsky.social
Facade articulation can be overdone or badly done, but some geometric playfulness can work. The Slate building in Portland is pretty cool, imo.
A modern mixed-use midrise building with protruding boxy frames of varying size. It's a bit of a signature style of Works Progress Architecture.
August 20, 2025 at 8:47 PM